Resonant light scattering from metal nanoparticles: Practical analysis beyond Rayleigh approximation

We propose a simple analytical formula that can quantitatively predict resonant light scattering from metal nanoparticles of arbitrary shape, whose sizes are too large for Rayleigh approximation to be applicable. The formula has been derived as an empirical extension of Mie’s rigorous calculation for light scattering from spheres. It can very well reproduce the experimental characteristics of light scattering from Au nanorods.